The Great Council consisted of over 2,000 members from the noble families of the Expanse, each of which were associated with one of the noble houses. The houses gained power and influence by forming coalitions within the Great Council in order to obtain enough votes to carry their policies. For approximately twenty years prior to the Battle of Yavin, the House Mecetti-controlled coalition held the power within the council. The proportion of votes each house had within the Great Council was based on the total population within each province and not the number of worlds or systems. The Great Council was led by a Prime Minister elected by majority vote within the chamber. It was the prerogative of the council to call for new Prime ministerial elections at any time but by tradition this was on